Creamy Grilled Eggs

Did you know that chickens can fly? Growing up, my Dad raised chickens all the time. We kept a coop full of laying hens and also raised chickens during the summer to eat. There is nothing like a fried chicken that you raise yourself. They are so much better than what you can buy in stores nowadays. Anyway, back to the flying chicken thing. The chickens that I helped my Dad raise when I was a kid were fed well. They were a little too chubby to fly more than a few feet. That's why I was so surprised the first time I saw a rooster take off into the air, fly about 25 yards and about 20 feet high and light on a tree limb. That chicken was fast too! He wasn't exactly a majestic eagle, but he could sure fly surprisingly far and high.

I was out deer hunting looking for a spot to settle in for the day's hunt. I stopped at a spot in the woods where there was a little clearing. I heard some noise in nearby brush so I decided to investigate. I couldn't believe it. It was a flock of chickens. I wanted to get a better look so I moved closer. Apparently, I got too close because the whole flock scattered and most of them flew away. I was startled and wondered if those birds really were chickens. I was particularly impressed by the black rooster that flew so far and so high into a tree. I went over to the tree, looked up and there he was. Yep, they were chickens. After investigating further, I realized that I had wondered into an old abandoned home site. Apparently, the chickens were left behind years before when the home was abandoned. When I found the house, there was nothing left of it but a couple of crumbling walls. Those flying chickens had been living in the wild their whole lives and their diet of whatever they could scratch up in the wild had kept them lean, strong and scrappy.

Speaking of chickens, here is a great egg recipe for the grill: Creamy Grilled Eggs. Agents of culinary oppression (food cops) beware of this one! You will need a grill that's been setup to provide a hot and warm zone, a small (5 1/2" - 6" diameter) cast iron skillet, two eggs, some sliced scallions, a pinch of thyme, some bacon, a couple of slices of crusty bread, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and some half & half. A couple of cherry tomatoes go well with this too.

Put the skillet over the hot zone of your grill and let it heat up. When the skillet is ready, fry the bacon. When the bacon is done, remove it but leave the grease to use to cook the scallions. Add the scallions and the thyme to the skillet and let them cook until the onions just turn translucent. Don't let them brown or burn.

Smell those scallions and thyme cooking? Is there anything that smells better than that? Now, remove the scallions and put the skillet over the warm zone on your grill.  Crack the eggs into the skillet and pour just enough half & half in the skillet to cover the egg whites. Chop the bacon and sprinkle a little over the egg whites along with the scallions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put some slices of crusty bread on the grill to toast and also put on the tomatoes that have been sliced in half and seasoned with salt and pepper. Let the eggs cook until the whites are done but the yolk is still soft. Place the tomato slices on the eggs then remove the toast and the skillet full of creamy egg glory from the grill and enjoy!